Yale for Humanity

Yale – ever heard of it? We thought you might have. It’s produced Nobel Laureates, presidents, actors, world-class economists, journalists, leading researchers and countless influential individuals to name. Many institutions want to be them. You could argue that Yale is, perhaps, one of the OG influencers. 

At the beginning of 2020, we began a partnership with Yale University to develop branding for the institution’s most ambitious fundraising effort to date, intended to raise $7 Billion. And as we’re all keenly aware, in the time between then and now, the world has changed dramatically. But through adversity comes opportunity. And it led us to take Yale—an institution more than three centuries old and a household name—toward an ambitious approach. 

As Yale approached a new chapter in its history, we saw an opportunity to push the university forward with a campaign brand that not only honors its history, but also goes far beyond its own campus and legacy and showcases the change (both potential and realized) that’s borne from one of the most prestigious institutions in the world. 

We conducted an in-depth discovery to better understand what distinguishes Yale from other institutions of its caliber, and what a contribution to their fundraising campaign truly meant for donors and alumni. Conversations with more than 100 stakeholders across the institution led us to realize that we were launching a campaign not only for the benefit of the university, but for all of humanity. This fundamental truth became the strategic foundation of the For Humanity campaign. We went on to develop campaign messaging and a full visual design system, printed case statement, campaign website, and anthemic films to introduce this ambitious campaign effort in a way that only Yale can. 

We helped to brand and market strategic initiatives including the Wu Tsai Neuroscience Institute and the Planetary Solutions Project and partnered with Yale Law School—which for nearly 200 years has trained students to lead in a remarkable range of sectors—to launch the Joseph C. Tsai Leadership Program.